It’s official, Sony is just about to launch a new reality show on the Playstation Network. People interested in watching the show will be able to do so directly on their PS3 console, providing that said console is hooked up to the web, of course.

The Tester, which will debut on February 18th, will star 11 video game fanatics who will compete against each others to determine who’s got the best skills to become a game tester. The grand winner will be offered a job at SCEA San Diego plus $5000 as a signing bonus.

Among the 11 participants, there’s a Californian cheerleader, a car salesman from Maryland and an author from Ohio. Sony explained that this project is part of a new marketing strategy used to show that their console can be used for other purposes than gaming.

“With the addition of the original series, The Tester, we further establish PlayStation Network as the preeminent destination for digital entertainment in the living room or in the palm of your hand,” said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for PlayStation Network.

New Episodes of The Tester will be available for free via the PlayStation Store each Thursday starting February 18th, and ending April 8th.

Edit: Oh, and CarsonS’s comment (from the comments section below) reminded me of this cartoon I stumbled upon a few days ago:

[The Tester | Official Press Release | Cartoon source: Penny Arcade]